Discovering New Worlds: Guest Speaker
For this evening’s “Discovering New Worlds” event, we are excited to welcome Professor Wallace Arthur, who, following your stargazing experience (weather permitting), will discuss the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. During the event you will receive a tour of the observatory with stargazing as the priority when the weather permits and we will introduce you to some techniques in how to navigate the night sky. Indoors, Wallace's talk will dive into the search for other planets orbiting alien stars, taking a look at the latest discoveries and will answer any questions you may have on the search for alien worlds. Wallace is a leading expert on exoplanets so don’t miss this opportunity to speak with someone who knows (most of!) the answers... All our talks are aimed at beginners, but be prepared to be inspired and get your head full of Big Ideas!
Is there life outside of earth? A question which has perplexed humans for eons, we now creep ever closer to uncovering the answer to that very question. Each year, more and more planets surrounding other star systenms are being discovered, with new technologies we can now begin analysing those planets' atmospheres in the hunt for signs of life.
How do we know? How many worlds are there? Which of them could sustain life? During this event we will uncover the methods and technology which make it possible for us to discover these new worlds, more formally known as "exoplanets", meaning extra solar planets.
Although stargazing is the priority on all our events, our aim is to deliver a fantastic experience whatever the weather with the help of our team of experienced and passionate astronomers.
Professor Wallace Arthur biography: Wallace is an evolutionary biologist and science writer. He is Emeritus Professor of Zoology at the National University of Ireland, Galway. His most recent book is The Biological Universe: Life in the Milky Way and Beyond, published by Cambridge University Press in 2020, which focuses on the likely extent (how many planets?) and nature (how much like us?) of extraterrestrial life. He was one of the founding editors of the journal Evolution & Development, serving as an editor for nearly 20 years. He has held visiting positions at Harvard University, Darwin College Cambridge, and the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland. He is currently Visiting Scientist at Kielder Observatory.
